AGENDA #4g
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Proposed Increase in Parks and Recreation Budget to add Inclusion Staff for the Town’s Special Populations Program
The attached budget ordinance would increase the FY 2000-2001 Parks and Recreation Department operating budget by $10,000. The ordinance would also increase the Department’s budget for recovery of user fee revenues by the same amount. Revenue projections for FY 2000-01 are expected to be $41,000 greater than that currently budgeted.
Throughout the 1980s the Town ran a Special Populations camp at Frank Porter Graham School. In the early 1990s the camp was eliminated when the Town adopted the Mainstream concept for integration of handicapped campers into other camps. The Special Populations specialist gathered resources and facilitated that integration.
Funding for the Special Populations position was deferred in fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.
On December 11, 2000, the Executive Director of the Arc (formerly the Association for Retired Citizens) of Orange County petitioned the Council to fund the Special Populations Specialist position. A Council member asked if 4th quarter funding for the special populations position would enable a summer camp for youth with special needs to be held in the summer of 2001.
DISCUSSION
The Arc of Orange County works with and for people who have or are at risk for developmental disabilities to promote full participation in all areas of life in our community. The Arc seeks to accomplish this through advocacy, education, and collaboration, as well as through provision of quality supports to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and the community.
During the first 9 months of 2000, the Arc of Orange County staff worked with a citizen committee to address leisure inclusion needs of individuals with disabilities. The committee’s report lists three priorities for 2001:
· Develop a specific guide on options for leisure opportunities in the community.
· Study existing programs strengths and weaknesses through special needs youth participation in these programs.
· Begin a planning effort to develop a camp specifically for youth with special needs
On January 9, 2001, Parks and Recreation Department staff met with Arc of Orange County staff and mutually agreed that it would be premature to attempt to operate a specialty camp for youth with special needs during the summer of 2001. Instead, both staff recommended identifying funding for camp staff qualified to work with mentally and physically disabled youth for the Parks and Recreation Department’s existing 2001 summer camp season. Because of significant planning requirements, we believe that a better target date for a specialty camp would be the year 2002. Please see attached letter from Wendy Trueblood, Executive Director of the Arc of Orange County.
Based on market rates, we believe we would need to recruit trained therapeutic recreation staff at a rate between $13-$18 per hour. While we have no way of knowing how many youth with special needs will register for summer camp programs, we believe that some special needs participants may require one-on-one assistance. We believe $10,000 should be allocated in the current fiscal year for the purpose of hiring and training camp staff for youth with special needs.
We believe that continued work by inclusion staff would be essential in successful integration of youth with special needs in summer camp programs. Staff costs for the continuation of the summer 2001 camp could be $15,000. We anticipate that initial funding needed in the fiscal year 2000-01 for the summer 2002 camp would be $10,000.
Potential Source of Funds: We believe that the additional funds required in the current fiscal year may be budgeted by increasing the Parks and Recreation Department’s operating budget by $10,000 and simultaneously increasing the Town’s budgeted revenues from Parks and Recreation Department user fees by the same amount.
In the past 18 months the Parks and Recreation Department has made several changes, which have significantly increased revenue from user fees:
· The number of facilities, which the Department rents, has increased. New rental facilities include the Northside meeting room and Gym, picnic shelters, and soccer fields at Homestead Park and Scroggs School.
· The Department has greatly expanded its program offerings over the past two years. Examples of new program offerings include summer sport camps, arts and crafts classes, dance classes and athletic clinics.
· In January 2000, changes to the Department’s Fee Reduction policy required that all program participants pay a portion of program fees based on their household size and annual household income. In the past participants could waive the entire program fee.
In the last 18 months the Parks and Recreation Department has significantly increased user fee revenue. In fiscal year1999-2000 Department revenues exceeded the budgeted amount by over $76,000:
Fiscal Year Budget Estimated Actual Over Budget
1999-2000 $338,600 $363,000 $414,888 $76,288
2000-2001 $372,600 $414,070
We anticipate that we will recover about $41,000 more in Parks and Recreation Department revenue in FY 2000-01 than was originally forecast.
That the Council adopt the attached budget ordinance increasing the FY 2000-2001 Parks and Recreation Department operating budget by $10,000. The ordinance would also increase the Department’s budget for recovery of user fee revenues by the same amount.
1. Letter from Wendy Trueblood, Executive Director of the Arc of Orange County (p. 5).
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND “THE ORDINANCE CONCERNING APPROPRIATIONS AND THE RAISING OF REVENUE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2000 (2000-02-12/O-4)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Budget Ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Concerning Appropriations and the Raising of Revenue for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2000” as duly adopted on June 26, 2000 be and the same is hereby amended as follows:
ARTICLE I
Current Revised
APPROPRIATIONS Budget Increase Decrease Budget
GENERAL FUND
Park & Recreation 1,978,693 10,011 1,988,704
ARTICLE II
Current Revised
REVENUES Budget Increase Decrease Budget
GENERAL FUND
Service Charges 998,000 10,011 1,008,011
This the 12th day of February, 2001.